La Liga leaders Barcelona look to bounce back from their defeat last time out as they make their way to Celta Vigo on Saturday night. The Catalan giants remain six points clear at the top of the table, while mid-table Celta seeks a continuation of their decent home form.
Match Preview: Celta Vigo vs. Barcelona
Balanced Start for Celta Vigo
Celta Vigo have had a good run of form as the season chugs along, gathering 17 points from 13 matches to lie 11th in the log. With five wins, two draws, and six losses, Sky Blues are just three points adrift of sixth-placed Athletic Bilbao, staying within touching distance of the top half.
Known for their attacking flair, Celta have scored 20 goals this season, among the top scorers in the league; however, their defense remains a worry, having conceded 22 goals-the joint-second-worst record in La Liga.
A week ago, before the international break, Claudio Giraldez’s men were minutes away from a 2-1 win over Real Betis, only for Marc Bartra to snatch a late equalizer. Nevertheless, Celta remain unbeaten in their last three matches, including a 1-0 home victory against Getafe.
Celta have won two of the last seven encounters with Barcelona and will try to take full advantage of their home turf against the league leaders.
Barcelona’s Dominance and Resilience
Barcelona have been the outstanding team in La Liga this campaign. Without the 1-0 defeat to Real Sociedad before the break, they have won 11 times from 13 matches, six points ahead of Real Madrid.
Hansi Flick’s team was on a seven-match winning run in all competitions until it lost to Sociedad. With three important matches coming up this month against Celta, Brest, and Las Palmas, Barcelona would want to keep dominance restored.
Barcelona won both La Liga meetings last season, beating Celta 2-1 in Vigo. Such is the standard of their squad, despite injuries, that the Catalans are genuine contenders both at home and on the continent.
Form Comparison
Celta Vigo La Liga Form: DWLLWD
Celta Vigo (All Competitions): WLLWWD
Barcelona La Liga Form: LWWWWL
Barcelona (All Competitions): WWWWWL
Team News and Predicted Lineups
Celta Vigo Team Updates
Celta’s Iago Aspas remains a key player, with 11 goals in all-time meetings against Barcelona—just one behind Lionel Messi’s record in this fixture. Aspas has also impressed this season with four goals and three assists in 12 La Liga appearances.
Luca de la Torre, Jailson, and Sergio Carreira are doubts, but no new injuries have been reported. Javier Manquillo may replace Mihailo Ristic in the starting XI.
Predicted Celta Vigo Starting XI:
Guaita; J. Rodriguez, Starfelt, Alonso; Mingueza, Sotelo, Beltran, Manquillo; Bamba, Iglesias, Aspas
Barcelona Team Updates
Robert Lewandowski has returned to training after missing international duty due to a problem with his back and should start. Ferran Torres has also recovered from a hamstring problem. Injuries will rule Ansu Fati, Lamine Yamal, Eric Garcia, Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Andreas Christensen, Marc Bernal, and Ronald Araujo out of the match-day Barcelona team.
Dani Olmo is expected to come back into the XI, though Gavi could remain on the bench as he continues to build match fitness. Frenkie de Jong and Marc Casado start deep in midfield.
Predicted Barcelona Starting XI:
Pena; Kounde, Cubarsi, Martinez, Balde; Casado, De Jong; Olmo, Pedri, Raphinha; Lewandowski
Match Prediction
Celta Vigo 1-2 Barcelona
This makes Celta a difficult proposition, and yet Barcelona’s flawless away record of six wins out of eight gives them the edge. Expect a hard-fought battle, with Barcelona narrowly claiming victory to hold onto their lead in La Liga.
